Acceptance
by Tha Kitten
Summary: The beginning of his fifth year, Severus meets the first person to ever willingly accept him. Inspired by Snape's Worst Memory, Kinda Lush, and Laerry's young Snape artwork.
1. The Feline on the Train

**Title:** Acceptance  
**Characters:** Severus Snape, Marauders, etc (Harry Potter), AU!Spike and Andrew (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Cat and Jory (OC), Ash (borrowed OC)  
**Pairings:** Snape/OC  
**Rating:** PG-13 for language and teen angst. x)  
**Beta:** WhiteHound  
**Summary:** The beginning of his fifth year, Severus meets the first person to ever willingly accept him. Inspired by "Snape's Worst Memory" (OoTP), KindaLush (a livejournal community) and Laerry's young Snape artwork (on DeviantArt) Also, check out her comic version of Snape's Worst Memory! It's brilliantly done!  
**Disclaimer:** I own none of the characters from the Harry Potter and Buffy worlds.

* * *

The Feline on the Train

The train rolled along the tracks with increasing speed as it left the platform, clattering along noisily. Students could be heard in the corridor, laughing with friends and talking excitedly. The beginning of a new school year meant reunions of friends, and reunions mean cheery conversation. They goofed around loudly, a few chasing each other down the corridor. People called one another's names and embraced, ecstatic about the new year.

Severus shut the door to his solitary compartment with a slam and an irritated scowl. The glass shut out most of the noise, but giggling voices still rang in his ears. Mad shrieks and roars of laughter seeped through the barrier. Things would quiet down soon enough, he decided as he sat down, as soon as everyone was settled in their own compartments. He picked up the book from the seat next to him and opened it, burying his angular nose in _Advanced Potion Making _by Libatius Borage.

As he'd predicted, once people were in their compartments with their doors shut and they weren't quite so hyper about seeing each other, the train became much quieter. The only sounds he could hear were those of the train moving steadily and his own book when he turned pages. A few minutes after the train had become quiet, Severus heard his compartment door open. Startled, he dropped his book and scrambled for his wand. His first thought was Potter and Black. They rarely came to bother him on the train, but there was a first time for everything.

However, the voice that said quietly, "Oh…sorry," was female. And when he lifted his head, hand still groping around for his wand, an auburn haired girl with two black streaks that framed her face was standing in the doorway. She offered a small, apologetic smile. "I didn't mean to startle you."

Heart still thundering in his chest, Severus stared at her, wondering why she'd come to his compartment. He certainly couldn't remember seeing her before. As he quickly looked her over, he noted that she already had half of her uniform on. The blue and bronze tie loose around her neck told him she was a Ravenclaw. It didn't surprise him that he didn't recognize her; the only other students he really knew off-hand were the Slytherins in his own year and the foursome that constantly tormented him.

"Would it be alright…if I joined you?" she asked, appearing to choose her words carefully. "The other compartments are full to bursting." She offered another little smile, which only lasted a moment before it fell away.

He blinked, then nodded slowly. Yet another smile curved her lips, although she averted her eyes as she sat down. Severus watched her carefully as her eyes darted around him.

"I'm Cat, by the way," she told him, looking up to meet his eyes.

"Severus," was all he said, reaching for his book and looking away from her.

"It's nice to meet you, Severus."

He froze, hand on the book. The words seemed to echo around him, and he lifted his head to look at her, sure he'd heard wrong. He straightened up, pulling the book close to him and feeling suddenly insecure.

"What?"

"I said it's nice to meet you," Cat repeated, smiling politely.

Politely. Of course, she was just being polite. Severus nodded and opened his book again, resuming his reading.

They were both silent for a very long time. The light filtering through the windows grew more golden with the afternoon sun. Neither one of them spoke to each other. Each time that Severus bothered (or dared) to look up at Cat, she was doing something different. At first, she was just gazing out the window, apparently daydreaming. The second time, she was doodling in a small notebook, frowning. And the third time, she had to look away hastily because she was watching him with a curious expression on her face.

"What?" Severus demanded as she pretended to be very interested in her silver rings.

Before she was even given a chance to answer, the old witch with the trolley stopped by their compartment.

"Anything from the trolley?" she asked, beaming at them.

Severus only glanced at her, then looked away, frowning at his potions book. He tried to lose himself in the words again, but was distracted by Cat rising to take a look. He watched her in his peripheral vision, pretending to still read. She quietly chose a few snacks to buy, before turning towards him.

"Do you want anything?"

He looked up at her and shook his head. "I don't have any money." Immediately his eyes went back to the book, but she spoke again.

"That's not what I asked."

Blinking at her, Severus noticed that she was smiling kindly. With a slight frown, he considered his stomach. He was a little hungry, and he hadn't had chocolate in a long while…

"Er…a chocolate frog, I suppose," he said, shrugging to appear disinterested.

While they ate, Severus decided to put his book down and let her talk to him. She spoke rather cheerfully, but also cautiously, he noticed. As he bit into his chocolate frog, he wondered why she acted that way. The things she was talking about weren't exceptionally delicate topics. Rather, she was discussing candy and other snacks.

"I always loved spice cake," she was saying as she halved her cauldron cake and handed him a piece. This gesture puzzled Severus, and he eyed the treat in his hand as though it might be poisoned, but she acted as casual as ever. "My mum and I used to make cakes a lot."

"Is your mother a witch?" Severus asked, his voice quiet and calm.

"No," Cat shook her head. "None of the people on my mum's side are. My grandmother'd have a fit if she knew. She thinks I'm at boarding school."

"What about your father?"

"Dunno. Never met him." Cat shrugged and tilted her head back to drop in a piece of the cake without getting crumbs everywhere. "What about your parents?"

"Mum's a witch, father's a Muggle," Severus replied simply.

"Oh," Cat said with a nod. There didn't really seem to be anything else to say about the matter.

Then she suddenly looked very amused, and Severus became nervous. He'd seen that look many times, usually on the face of Black or Potter, and it was never really a good sign. He drew back as far as he could, scowling.

"What are you smirking at?" he challenged defensively.

"You have chocolate, here," she said, gesturing to the spot on her own face, which was just below her lip.

Relaxing somewhat, though now feeling foolish, he tried to get the chocolate off his tongue. It wasn't often that he had chocolate, and he wasn't keen to waste any of it. Cat giggled a little, shaking her head.

"No, a little more to the left. Other left. No, I…hehe. Let me…"

She rose and moved to sit next to him, still giggling. Still sensitive to being laughed at, Severus frowned at her as she grinned. Her thumb lifted and it took all of his will power not to jerk away as she gently swept under his bottom lip. The intimacy of this action settled in as their eyes met, and hers widened a little. She pulled her hand away, looking embarrassed. Severus couldn't say he felt any better about the situation.

"I, um…" she started, then, for some reason, leaned closer.

Cat smelled of chocolate and spices, and he found himself closing his eyes. Her breath fell softly upon his lips, and he was sure that they shouldn't kiss just yet, but this was someone accepting him, so why not…?

Laughter exploded in the doorway of the compartment, and Severus' eyes flashed open. The air was suddenly colder as Cat had leapt back from him. He twisted around to see James Potter and Sirius Black were beside themselves with amusement, roaring with laughter. Potter was actually clutching at the compartment door, doubled over, while Black had thrown his head back.

Severus shot an infuriated look at Cat, teeth clenched.

"You!" he snapped. "You're _with them_!"

He didn't give her a chance to respond, snatching up his bag and shoving angrily past the two boys laughing at him. As he stormed off towards the toilets, he heard them shout after him.

"IT'S ALRIGHT, SNIVELLUS, YOU'LL FIND LOVE ONE DAY!" They roared with laughter again, and Severus locked himself into the bathroom, trying to shut them out.

As he glared at himself in the small mirror, a few angry tears rolled down his cheeks. He slid to a sitting position, leaning against the door, and buried his face in his hands.


	2. Return

**Author's Notes: **First of all, thanks so much for the reviews! I'm very pleased that you like Cat, although I've become very pressured not to disappoint you all (I'm always paranoid that I might cross the Mary Sue line). That doesn't mean not to comment, though! By all means, please do! I welcome all constructive criticism, if you have any. :)

Second, I realize that I updated very quickly. The thing is, I'd written about 20 pages worth of this fic when I posted the first chapter, and now I'm re-working everything due to a somewhat large mistake I made. Oh well. Writing is re-writing!

Anyways, enough of my yammering. Enjoy chapter two!

EDIT: My mistake has been fixed (but I changed Bella to a relative of Pansy Parkinson so that it has a bit of a canon feel to it; I hope that works). Thank you, whitehound. :)

* * *

Return

Some time had passed since the first night at Hogwarts. Severus had managed to mostly avoid Potter and Black, although word had spread through the Slytherins that he'd been caught kissing a Ravenclaw.

"She jumped me," Severus muttered moodily at breakfast one morning. "And we didn't even kiss."

"But a _Ravenclaw_?"

"I didn't know she was a Ravenclaw," he lied.

Despite his attempts to salvage what was left of his reputation, the Slytherins ignored him and tried to pick out which girl it was, insulting the majority of them. Only one Slytherin, a slender, strong 6th year bloke with curly platinum hair sitting near Severus, didn't partake in the activity. He ate his food quietly, glancing over at the girls they were pointing out. Severus noticed that he seemed to shake his head about a fraction as the Slytherins chose wrong girl after wrong girl. After a while, though, he decided it was his imagination, and returned to eating.

Then, the blonde stood suddenly and walked away from the table. He watched him stride over to the Ravenclaw table and, horrified, as he tapped Cat on the shoulder. Cat looked at him, surprised and waited as he spoke. Then she said something quickly, shot a look over at the Slytherin table, and returned to talking with a brunette girl.

The Slytherin returned to their table and gathered up his bag. Everyone else was staring at him, but he ignored them. Finally, Odelia Parkinson sniffed.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"What'd she say?"

The blonde looked at Odelia indignantly. "What business is that of yours?"

"Weren't you asking her if she was the one who kissed Snape?"

He rolled his eyes. "I don't give a bloody damn who Snape snogs, be it a Ravenclaw or not."

With that, he stormed out of the Great Hall with an air of great annoyance around him. Severus sighed silently with relief. The last thing he needed was his classmates critiquing Cat and insulting them both. Truth was, he'd actually kind of liked her… Until he found out she was a pawn in Potter and Black's game, he reminded himself as he dropped his fork onto his plate. He grabbed his school things, shot an infuriated look over at the Gryffindor table, and left for Charms in a huff. He just wanted to get as far away from the people tormenting him as possible.

Professor Flitwick began the class by discussing how important the O.W.L.s would be and so on and so forth. After about ten minutes of this, he began the day's lesson with a Silencing Charm. They were given crows to practice on, obnoxious ones that cawed incessantly. Everyone seemed to have trouble at first, including Severus, whose mind was elsewhere, on the train. It wasn't until, in his eyes, the crow became Potter cackling, that he was able to perform the charm correctly.

"SILENCIO!" he shouted, jabbing his wand at the Potter-bird.

The crow flapped its wings and moved its beak, but no sound came out. He smirked at it triumphantly, imagining Potter flailing his arms about, trying to yell.

"Oh, very good, Mr. Snape!" Flitwick said happily. "Ten points to Slytherin!"

An hour and a half later, Severus walked quietly into the dungeons for double Potions and, to his great displeasure, saw that they'd be working with the Ravenclaws this year. Now he had two houses to avoid. He kept his head ducked as he moved to the seat farthest away from everyone else. He quietly set up his cauldron, allowing his hair to fall in front of his face like a protective curtain.

After a few minutes, he started at the sound of someone just next to him. When he looked, he saw Cat casually setting up her cauldron next to him. On the other side of her was the girl she'd been talking to at breakfast that morning. He gaped at them, eyes wide.

"Hello," Cat said softly.

"What are you doing?" he asked, scowling.

"You left your book on the train," she said, pulling his copy of _Advanced Potion Making_ out of her bag and setting it on the table next to him. "I thought you might like it back."

He took it slowly, looking it over to make sure she hadn't done anything to it. Deciding it was safe, he slipped it safely back inside his bag.

"You can go now."

"There are no other seats, genius," the brunette next to Cat said, refusing to look at him.

"_Jory,_" Cat said sternly.

Severus threw a glare at Jory, before turning away from them to focus on Slughorn's speech about O.W.L.s. They didn't talk to each other during the lesson, while they worked on the tricky Draught of Peace. Severus found relaxation in the familiarity of potion making and continued to improve the instructions, jotting changes down in his textbook.

He finished before anyone else like usual, ladling the potion into a flask and corking it. Jory made a little noise of frustration as he strolled up to Slughorn's desk for marking.

Cat was staring in amazement as she continued to stir her potion. "Wow. How'd you get it done so fast? I mean…wow."

Severus shrugged, stuffing his things into his bag and leaving. He wasn't exactly keen on sharing his skills with the girl that made a fool of him. The only way he'd been able to work next to her was the fact that she kept absolutely silent until the end of the class. He just hoped she continued to follow that trend, and didn't become another James Potter. Although, she _had_ returned his book, when he'd been certain that he'd have to write a letter to Flourish and Blotts. She wasn't required to do that…

His name being called broke through his thoughts, faint at first, until a hand on his shoulder brought him crashing back into reality. Startled, memories of violent hands descending upon him rushing through his head, he whipped around at the same time he pulled his wand out. A frightened Cat stumbled back, releasing him and throwing her hands up in surrender. Jory, however, who was half a step behind her, brandished her own wand. She and Severus glared at one another, his wand pointed at Cat, and hers pointed at him.

"Jory, don't…" said Cat in a calm tone, lowering her hands to her sides. "He won't do anything."

"What makes you so sure?!" Jory snapped.

"This is no place for your paranoia, Jory._ Put the wand away!_"

Jory hesitated, glancing over at Cat, before sighing and pocketing the wand. Severus, however, didn't budge. Cat cleared her throat, eyeing the wand despite her previous statements. Her gaze hastily returned to meet his when she spoke.

"I just wanted to talk to you," she started.

"Well, I don't want to talk to you," Severus said irately. "And don't. Ever. Touch. Me. Again." He grit his teeth and glared, before turning on his heel and storming away, robes billowing behind him.


	3. Clouded Vision, Clouded Judgment

Clouded Vision, Clouded Judgment

A week passed, during which Severus received a record minimum of trouble from the Marauders. Or perhaps he was just getting better at dodging their hexes. Only two of their tripping jinxes caught him, but he was lucky enough those days not to fall in a crowded corridor. Things were going well, especially when he walked into Potions to see Jory setting up her cauldron with Cat nowhere to be seen. It was bad enough that she was almost constantly trying to get him to talk to her, whether it was between classes in passing or out on the grounds during the weekend. He didn't want to deal with her during class.

Jory was in her regular seat, one over from his, and he didn't speak to her as he set up his cauldron and took out his book. Although she didn't speak to him, he could feel her anger and hostility towards him. It wasn't anything new to him, but he couldn't imagine why she felt that way when he'd done nothing to her. He sighed. He hadn't done anything to Potter and Black, but then again…

Suddenly Jordan scoffed indignantly, turning to face him.

"Cat is in the hospital wing," she announced. "Not that you _care_."

Severus didn't look at her, quietly turning the pages of his text book. He allowed his eyes to rake leisurely over the different pages, reviewing his notes while he waited for Slughorn to arrive.

"You're right, I _don't_ care," he agreed simply, flipping a few pages forward.

Jory made a noise of disbelief, and he could see her eyes widen in his peripheral vision.

"She's there, because of you, you git!"

Severus rounded on her, eyes equally large at this accusation.

"Me!? I didn't do anything to her!" he yelped defensively.

Stepping closer, she glared fiercely at him. Severus' eyes narrowed to return the glare, his hand creeping towards his wand.

"James Potter and Sirius Black hexed her to have ears and a tail. Which, I might add, Madam Pomfrey is having trouble removing!" Jory snapped matter-of-factly, then snarled threateningly, "Now tell me that's not your fault."

Severus' hand froze inches from his wand. The corner of his mouth twitched, threatening to break into a smile. It was a cruel joke, but he had to admit it was a _little_ amusing. Still, it wasn't his fault that Potter and Black had jumped her. He stared defiantly at Jory.

"It's not my fault."

Jory's eyes bugged out of her head and her nostrils flared widely. Her fists were clenched at her sides and she seemed to be holding herself back from attacking him. Rather than lunging towards him, though, she whipped around and returned angrily to her station. She handled her book so roughly that she ripped more than one of the pages, muttering to herself.

Severus worked quietly on his potion, though his mind wasn't as focused. He made fewer notes than usual and knew that he'd have to work on it again later in order to perfect it, but his thoughts were elsewhere. It didn't make sense for Potter to hex Cat, nor did it make sense for Jory (who was working rather violently beside him) to accuse Severus of getting her into that position.

He finished around the same time as the rest of the class, but with a considerably better potion. When he returned to his table after turning in his flask, Jory was gathering her books.

"I'm going to go visit her during lunch," she told him, raising her head as she slung her bag over her shoulder. "Though I don't suppose you'd be interested."

Without waiting for him to respond, she lifted her chin and stomped out of the classroom.

* * *

Severus had not accompanied Jory to the hospital wing during lunch. After Transfiguration, however, he found himself wandering in that direction, rather than to the Great Hall for dinner. Perhaps it was pure curiosity that drove him or maybe the chance to see her humiliated for a chance.

It was quiet in the infirmary, which was nearly empty. He spotted Cat in a bed on the other side of the room. She was absorbedly reading a book, eyes slightly wide. There was no sign of cat ears on her head, although he noticed that she was sitting oddly, as though to accommodate a new addition to her rear end.

With a sigh, he ventured forward, clutching at his bag's strap. He made it to her bed, but she didn't seem to have noticed him. A bit uncertainly, he cleared his throat to announce his presence.

Cat cried out in fright, jolting and tossing her book into the air. Startled by her reaction, Severus leapt backwards with a small yelp. She turned to look at him, panting slightly, hair messily swept across her face. Her brow creased as she pushed her hair back. He nervously wiped his hands on his robes.

"Um. Hello," he said quietly, looking downwards. This had been such a bad idea.

"H-hi...Severus…" she said softly, sounding confused. "What are you doing here?"

Definitely a bad idea.

"Nothing, never mind," he mumbled, refusing to look at her. "I'll just…"

He turned and started to leave, but Cat said quickly, "No, wait, you don't have to leave!"

Perplexed, he pivoted to face her again. She'd lurched forward and was halfway to her knees, watching him. As she sank back, she told him quietly, "I just don't understand. I thought you were angry with me."

"I was. I am!" He fiddled with his bag, then sat tentatively on the bed across from her. "Your friend Jory told me…" He gestured to her.

Cat looked suddenly guilty, wincing.

"Oh…she…she blamed it on you, didn't she?" she wondered, and when he nodded, "I told her not to. It wasn't your fault…I…I started it. I kinda…"

She chewed on her lip a moment, looking guiltier and guiltier by the second. He said nothing and she continued slowly.

"I _kinda_...told him off… And then I…well…I may have...smashed his glasses. And he couldn't see and was…walking into things…"

For a long moment, they were both quiet. Severus was staring at Cat who, chewing on her lip again, was picking at the bedspread. Then he started to laugh. Quiet at first, and then trying to stifle it as Cat looked at him with wide eyes. She didn't seem to think it was very funny, but he couldn't help it. As he started to laugh harder, she shifted uncomfortably.

"Don't…c'mon…" she pleaded, looking worried. "Severus, stop it."

But a grin was spreading across her face as he clutched at his stomach.

"C'mon, it's not funny!" she scolded him, but it was followed by chuckling.

"Did he…did he trip over anything?" Severus asked between laughter.

Cat's amusement had grown louder very quickly, and she was doubled over. It seemed to take most of her strength to nod.

"Yeah! Over Pettigrew trying to pick them up!" she giggled madly. "He took Black down with him!"

Severus roared with laughter, sliding to the floor between Cat's bed and the empty bed.

They continued to laugh until they couldn't move, clutching at each other with tears in their eyes. It took them a few moments to catch their breath, quiet as they gasped for air. Severus was leaning against Cat's bed, and she was collapsed on the bed itself. He arm hung over the side and her hand was still loosely gripping his sleeve. With a satisfied sigh, Cat pushed herself into a sitting position and wiped her eyes. Severus pulled himself to his feet with some difficulty. Cat smiled at him.

"So. What made you turn on Potter, anyway?" he asked curiously.

The smile disappeared almost immediately. It was replaced with a stern frown.

"What do you mean turn—" She paused, then scoffed in disbelief. "Oh. My. _God._ Do you still think I'm part of their stupid little gang?"

Severus crossed his arms and scowled at her. She threw her hands into the air.

"You're unbelievable!"

"What, so you're just telling me it was a coincidence?" he challenged.

"Yes, Severus!" she said desperately. "That's _precisely_ what I'm telling you!"

He looked away from her for a moment, then back.

"I don't believe you," he said slowly.

"Why not?!" Cat demanded, her tone the angriest he'd ever heard it. "There is _no_ reason for me to lie to you and I've been nothing but kind! Why can't you accept that it was just a coincidence?"

Severus sighed and thought about it for a long moment. With a sad realization of his lack of trust for _anyone_, he shook his head.

"I don't know. But…I can't."

Cat's voice was both angry and tearful as she ordered, "Get out."

He obeyed, leaving with his head slightly bowed. At the door, he glanced back to see her holding her head in her hands.

As he walked down the hall, he lost himself in thought. This girl was unlike any of the other students at Hogwarts he'd met so far. The way she wouldn't leave him alone, how badly she seemed to want to patch things up between them. And she barely knew him.

He stopped in one of the empty halls, leaning against the wall outside of a deserted classroom.

Even if the almost-kiss had just been part of that prank, the conversation with him had been real. So had the gesture of buying him a chocolate frog and splitting her cauldron cake with him. And returning his book wasn't something she'd been required to do. If her conscience had been eating at her that badly, she could've just handed it over to Spike to give to him. But she'd waited to return it herself.

If it weren't for his strong suspicion that she was just pulling a trick on him, she might've been a good friend. Well, technically his first friend, since there was no way he could actually consider anyone in Slytherin to be that trustworthy. He sighed. It was a shame, but years of abuse and deception had destroyed his ability to trust anyone, and this girl, strange though she was, had not convinced him otherwise.


End file.
